Regulator for pneumatically-operated musical instruments.



T. DANQUARD. REGULATOR FOR PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED $312.24, 1906. RENEWED SEPT. 1,1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DANQUARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOAUTO PNEUMATIC ACTION 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW:YORK.

REGULATOR FOR PNEUMATICALLY-OPERATED MUSICAL. INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application. filed February 24, 1906, Serial No. 302,755. RenewedSeptember 1, 1911; Serial No. 647,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DANQUARD, a' citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Regulator for Pneumatically- OperatedMusical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved regulatorfor pneumatically operated musical instruments by which the force oraction of the striking pneumatics can be regulated.

To this end, the invention consists in interposing in the wind-way orpassage be tween the striking pneumatics and windchest, a valve arrangedto close with the flow toward its seat and a regulator engaging thevalve to limit its motion toward the seat but so as to leave the valvefree so that the same can be moved away from its seat to permit a flow.The valve is held open by mechanical means.

The advantages of this construction will be hereinafter more fullypointed out.

The apparatus is illustrated in the acoom panying drawing which showsenough of an inside piano player to illustrate the use and operation ofmy improvement.

Referring to said drawing and in detail,

. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation partly in section. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation. Fig. 8 is a front elevation partly in section, andFig. 1 is a partial sectional elevation illustrating the construction ofthe spring used inside of the regulator.

Referring to the drawing and in detail, it will be noticed that I haveshown my invention applied to a musical instrument known as an insidepiano player and more particularly to the instrument shown, describedand claimed in Letters-Patent granted to me August 15, 1905, No.797,182, to which reference is made for a fuller explanation of thearrangement of the parts of the instrument, but the invention obviouslyis applicable to other kinds of pneumatically operated devices.

Referring to the drawing and in detail, 8 designates an air trunk whichleads from the striking pneumatics. This trunk connects with an airpassage 9 in the top of a windchest 13. These parts or passages are ar-;ranged, substantially as shown in my previous patent and form apassage-way between lthe operating pneumatics and the windlchest andsuction bellows. The passage 9 jextends into a chamber 10 which isparti- Etioned off in the wind-chest, as indicated by idotted lines inFig. 3. A block 11 is arranged on the front of the wind-chest as shown.A hole 14 is bored through the block and into the chamber 10 and a hole15 is bored. through the block 11 into the windchest 13. Secured on thisblock is the pneumatic regulator. This comprises a board 16 which issecured to the block 11, holes being bored through the board 16 tocoincide with the holes 14 and 15. The hole in the board 16 whichregisters with the hole 15 forms a valve seat for a valve 17 which ispivoted to the board 16 so as to close with the flow. A board 18 ishinged to the board 16 and connected therewith by a flexible diaphragm19 in a manner so as to form a pneuimatic or bellows.

Arranged in the front of this pneumatic is a finger 20 which can engagethe projecting end of the valve 17. A light springer piece of wire 21 isused to force the valve 17 normally toward its seat. It will be no iticed that by this engagement, the pneumatic regulator will act to limitthe motion of the valve toward its seat but will leave the valve free tobe moved away from its Eseat, independently of the regulator or theboard 18.

A spring 22 is arranged in the regulator pneumatic so as to keep thesame normally open. A hole is bored in the board 16 and projecting inthrough the same is a plunger 23, which plunger is fitted into packing24 {arranged in said hole so as to leave the regulating pneumaticair-tight. This plunger is arranged to engage the projecting end of thevalve.

Secured in boxes or bearing pieces arranged on the board 16, is a wirerod 25 fwhich has a downwardly extending arm 26 which engages betweennuts 27 arranged on the plunger 23. The other end of the rod is bent toform an arm 28 engaging which is a link 29 which has nuts 3030 arrangedthereon, the other end of said link being connected to an arm 31 bentfrom a rod 32 journaled in suitable bearings and having an operatingpiece or arm extending up in position to be manipulated by the operator.

The operation of this device is as follows: When the operating piece 33is moved so as to draw the plunger 23 out of the way of the valve, theregulating pneumatic, in connection with its spring, will allow thevalve 17 to come up to its seat in such degree as to form substantiallyapressure regulator, whereby the flow through the passage 9 will besubstantially constant or in other words, the valve will act so thatthere will only be a constant diminution of pressure in the passage 9,irrespective of the variations of pressure in the wind-chest 13. Inother words, the device will operate to maintain the desired soft-toneexpression, irrespective of the number of striking pneumatics which maybe operated at any one time and substantially irrespective of the actionof the suction bellows. If the operator desires to accentuate oremphasize any particular note or chord, the operating piece 33 is movedso as to push the valve 17 away from its seat and thus to allow a freeor unrestricted flow of air from the passage 9 out int-o the wind-chest.If accentuation for only one note or chord is desired, the operatingpiece 33 is moved back to allow the pneumatic regulator to control thevalve 17 after the chord or note has passed the tracker board. Ifcontinued loud playing is desired or if it is desired to put theinstrument under the direct action of the suction bellows, the valve 17is held away from its seat and out of the cont-r01 of the regulator. Italso will be noted that an adjusting action can be obtained. Forinstance; if it is desired to play the instrument with a certain degreeof loudness between the two extremes, the operating piece 33 is set sothat the valve 17 will be under the control of the regulator until acertain degree of exhaust is reached in the wind-chest when the furthercollapse of the regulating pneumatic will not operate the valve whichwill be held from moving closer to its seat by the plunger. Bymanipulating the mechanism in this way, it is possible to regulate theinstrument so that the pneumatic regulator will operate to adjust thevalve 17 automatically.

A further advantage of my structure resides in the fact that theoperator in adj usting the plunger to limit the closing movement of thevalve or to positively open the same, does not have to work against thebellows regulator but only against the tendency of the valve to movetoward its seat and against the small wire spring 21, if that is used.

A spring 3 1 is usually arranged between the arm 28 and a fixed part soas to hold the plunger in to keep the valve from its seat when the handof the player is not on the handle 33. Thus loud playing is obtainedwhen the parts are in their normal position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters- Patent is 1. A pneumatically operated instrument,having a wind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow through thesame, a pneumatic regulator for limiting the motion of the valve in onedirection only, and mechanically operated means for positively holdingthe valve open.

2. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow through the same, apneumatic regulator for controlling the valve, and mechanicallyoperating means for positively holding the valve open independent of theregulator.

3. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve seat therein, a valve closing with theflow, a regulator engaging the valve to limit its motion toward the seatbut so as to leave the valve free to move away from its seatindependently of the regulator, and mechanically operating means forpositively holding the valve open.

4. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve seat therein, a valve closing with theflow, a regulator engaging the valve to limit its motion toward theseat, but so as to leave the valve free to move away from its seat, andmechanically operating means for positively holding the valve openindependent of the regulator.

5. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow through the same, aregulator comprising a spring and a movable wall, a finger on the wallarranged to engage the valve so as to limit its closing movement, andmechanically operating means for holding the valve open independently ofthe regulator.

6. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow through the same, abellows pneumatic for the valve, the engagement between the bellowspneumatic and the valve being arranged so that the bellows pneumaticwill limit the closing motion of the valve, a plunger engaging thevalve, and means for mechanically adjusting the plunger so that theextent of the closing movement of the valve can be regulated.

7. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow, a

pneumatic regulator operating said valve so as to limit its closingmovement but so as not to interfere with its opening movement, a plungerextending into the bellows pneumatic and limiting the closing movementof the valve, and means for operating the plunger.

8. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, the combination of awind-way or passage, a valve controlling the flow through the same, apneumatic regulator op erating the valve so as to limit the closingmovement thereof but so as not to interfere with the opening movementthereof, a spring tending normally to force the valve to close, andmechanically operating means for opening the valve.

9. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, a wind-way orpassage, a valve controlling the flow through the same, a pneumaticregulator for controlling the valve, mechanically operating means forpositively holding the valve open, and a spring arranged in said meansso that the valve will normally be held open.

10. A pneumatically operated instrument having a wind-way or passage, avalve for controlling the flow through the same, and movable means forlimiting the motion of the valve in one direction only.

11. A pneumatically operated instrument having a wind-way or passage, avalve for controlling the flow through the same, and means movable bychanges in air tension or pressure in said passage for limiting themotion of the valve in one direction, said valve being free to move inthe opposite direction irrespective of the position of said means.

12. The combination with a pneumatic or bellows having a passage in onemember thereof, and a finger on the other member, of a valve for saidpassage the closing motion of which is limited bythe position of saidfinger.

13. The combination with a pneumatic or bellows, comprising tworelatively movable members having a passage, of a valve for saidpassage, and a finger fixed with respect to the other of said membersand adapted to limit the motion of the valve toward its seat, the valvebeing free to move away from its seat irrespective of the position ofsaid finger.

14. The combination with a pneumatic or bellows, comprising tworelatively movable members, one of said members having a passage, of avalve for said passage which is free to open independently of therelative position of said members, and means operable by the opening andclosing of said members for limiting the motion of the valve toward itsseat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

THOMAS DANQUARD. Witnesses:

WILLIAM BARTENSTEIN, E. A. PHILLIPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

